25 Years On, What Do You Think Of The ‘Perfect Dark’ Franchise?

Believe it or not, it’s been 25 years this month since Perfect Dark began its life for the Nintendo 64 on May 22nd, 2000 – and unfortunately it’s been a rocky ride since then, with just two games having been released in 25 years.

That original game was amazing, of course, and some people still think it was better than GoldenEye 007, while its 2010 Xbox Live Arcade port for the Xbox 360 remains fun to play to this day, especially since it’s been made backwards compatible for modern Xbox consoles.

2005’s Perfect Dark Zero didn’t receive anywhere near the same kind of praise, releasing as an Xbox 360 launch title that arguably should have been a defining first-party game, but ultimately fell short of the ridiculously high standards set by the original. Some of the developers of that game explained why Perfect Dark Zero was a challenging project in an interview with our sister site Time Extension – a feature that’s well worth a read if you get a chance.

And then, we’ve got the Perfect Dark reboot that was announced back in 2020. It’s been five long years with no sign of a release for The Initiative’s big first project, but we did get an exciting look at gameplay during last year’s Xbox Games Showcase, and we’re crossing our fingers that it might show up again at the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 in June.

So, as Perfect Dark turns 25, how do you feel about the franchise as a whole? Do you consider it a success because of the amazing original game (and maybe Perfect Dark Zero too), or a missed opportunity that’s only spurned two games in well over two decades? Come and tell us down in the comments below.